starstruck || hannah abbott

20 || term begins

Anastasia tossed and turned all night. She could not get her mind off of what was to come this year. She assumed Theodore and Draco were feeling the same sick sensation. The Dark Lord has assigned the three Slytherin students a very taxing task. Would they be able to complete it?

None of Ana's attempts to sleep even helped ease her mind. Pansy, Tracey, and Daphne slept soundly, but Millicent snored her heart out. Nothing could bring the sixteen year old witch any peace. The eiderdown bedspread tangled around Anastasia's legs as she flipped onto her back for what had to have been the hundredth time before she pulled herself out of the covers. She made sure that the four other girls were well into their dreams as she crept from the dormitory.

The Common Room was cold. The fire was out and the Black Lake was casting strange hues of shadows across the floor. Ana sat on the nearest leather couch and looked into the lake's depths. Every once in a while, a small glimmer of something magical would flit by her. She assumed it was some type of fish or maybe the mermaids playing tricks on her eyes this late. Though, the small twinkles reminded her of the stars she could not see. This brought her comfort as she thought of Hannah Abbott.

The letters the two girls had exchanged over the summer really made Anastasia truly happy. In the middle of all the chaos that the end of the summer and the start of term brought, there was acceptance and friendship in those words. Ana hoped dearly that Hannah had not thought badly of her for not trying to make contact before or after the feast, and she also hoped that the two would share classes again. Being close to Hannah brought the brunette an inner peace that she had only known from her grandparents. Though this peace was far more intimate. Her grandparents were her rock through her parents' death, but Hannah was her rock here at school. While Hannah might not see that yet, Anastasia had never felt so comfortable around one person like this before. She felt as though she could start to be more vulnerable around the Hufflepuff, she felt that this girl was such a blessing, and this year, she felt that she could come out safely to Hannah.

These thoughts were what Anastasia drifted off to sleep on the cool leather couch for about an hour until something from the lake bumped the glass and she started awake again. By now, it was around 5am and Ana needed to lay in bed actual bed. She headed back to the rhythmic snoring of Millicent and the cold covers. Hopefully, sleep would come soon.

The rustling of the other girls' blankets and clothing woke Anastasia that morning as they prepared for the first day back. Ana plaited her hair into one long braid and fumbled with her tie. The few hours of sleep she had gotten were not enough and Ana was already dreading her class load to come. This year, she would taking N. E. W. T. Level Courses with Theodore and Anastasia worried she would not be able to keep up with the work.

She was the last girl to leave the dormitory, lingering to stare at her reflection as her brown eyes reflected exhaustion. The familiar route to the Great Hall seemed far too short for her liking as she entered and placed herself next to Theo. The young wizard was munching through some oatmeal and some buttered toast.

"Morning," he greeted his best friend as she sat down next to him.

"Hey, how did you sleep?" Ana asked him.

"Not well, not at all, actually. How about you?" Theodore's response was not surprising, but Anastasia had hoped that sleep had been more kind to him.

"Probably got two hours," came Ana's reply.

"This term is going to suck," Theo stated glumly.

"You can say that again. Have our time tables been handed out yet?" She was eager to know how she would be spending her time outside of helping Draco.

"Yeah, I grabbed yours for you," Theodore answered before handing her a rolled piece of parchment. "We have the same classes on Tuesday and Thursday. Also, how in the hell did you make it into Alchemy?"

"Snape recommended me for it," Anastasia smiled for a moment as she examined her classes. She was only taking six, but these six were not about to be a breeze: Potions, Alchemy, Transfiguration, Herbology, Defense Against The Dark Arts, and Ancient Runes all at the N. E. W. T. Level were quite challenging.

"That class is way too advanced for me. Potions and Transfiguration is where I draw the line. Good for you, though, not many students make it that far," he praised her.

"Thanks, this is going to be very interesting. I will have to keep you updated on my pursuit for removing our—I mean—stain removal," Ana finished meekly. She could not bring herself to say "Dark Mark" out loud. It seemed far too surreal to actually be imprinted on her and Theo's inner right forearms.

Theodore chuckled sarcastically before discarding the rest of his toast's crust. He bid Anastasia good luck on her classes and he departed for Charms.

Ana tarried a little while longer at the Slytherin table and watched the rest of Hogwarts wake up. Many anxious first year students had already left to find their classes, but she was not worried about finding Potions. Instead of searching for a classroom, her eyes moved from students to student at the Hufflepuff table. Her eyes longed to find that golden girl with the laughing blue eyes and rosy pink cheeks. Perhaps Hannah Abbott had already left the Great Hall or skipped breakfast because no matter where Anastasia looked, she could not find her.

Leaving the Great Hall dejectedly, Ana headed to the dungeons, bumping into that special someone.